Page 13 - Food & Drink Magazine Nov-Dec 2018

LIVE: THE CONVENIENCE CULTURE
THE NEXT WAVE
More big transformational shifts are around the corner, and these could also change and disrupt the convenience game, according to Dr Angeline Achariya, CEO of the Food Innovation Centre at Monash University.
Faux ingredients such as lab-reared meat for consumers prepared to pay for guilt-free indulgence, and products targeting personalised health and nutrition, are two big opportunities that are ripe for innovation, Achariya predicts.
“The consumer of the future is going to demand these things,” she said.
TICKING THE BOXES
Products that tick both health and convenience boxes represent a massive opportunity, according to Delicious Foods Australia founder Nicole Mahler who took to the stage to share the story behind the creation of her own line of healthy chilled meals, which began when her daughter adopted a vegan diet.
Australia is the third fastest growing vegan market, Mahler says, and she realised that the niche was “screaming for innovation”.
Over the past five years, she has sought to fill that gap with her convenient Dahlicious and Veglicious plant-based product lines, which boast five health stars, and are sold chilled in pouches Australia-wide.
LEADER OF THE PACK
A number of products on the shelf today are, thanks to innovations in packaging, leading the way in the convenience stakes. Iain Blair, the director of creative design agency Birdstone Collective, profiled some of the top contenders, including Brownes Diary’s recyclable upside down yoghurt pack, SPC’s differentiated pouch range, Mentos’ new Velcro closure, and Always Fresh Olives which are packaged in single-portion shelf-stable bags.
Blair advised brands to keep moving, however, as the latest packaging advances would in time be taken for granted by consumers.
“What is convenient now is not convenient tomorrow,” Blair said. The complex issue of balancing
functional delivery and sustainability through smart packaging design and material choices was tackled by a panel session hosted by Food & Drink Business publisher Lindy Hughson and featuring Blair, Achariya, Brownes Dairy marketing and sales director Natalie Sarich-Dayton, and Tetra Pak Oceania marketing director Jaymie Pagdato.
LIVE: The Convenience Culture was sponsored by Heat and Control, Flavour Makers, ADM, AUSPACK, Daylight and Ecolean. ✷
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www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au|November-December2018 |Food&Drinkbusiness|13